Portland State Vanguard

VOLUME 70 | ISSUE 13 | NOVEMBER 3, 2015

NEWS NEWS ARTS & CULTURE OPINION INTERNATIONAL

DRAFTING GOALS THROUGH 2020 P. 6 80 AUTHORS, 17 WORKSHOPS: WORDSTOCK P. 8 PUMPKIN SPICE: A REASON TO LIVE P. 11 MAKE AN IMPACT WITH ISV P. 14

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CONTENT NEWS ARTS & CULTURE OPINION ETCETERA INTERNATIONAL

4 7 10 12 14

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EDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM Turner Lobey

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MANAGINGEDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM Tim Sullivan

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NEWS EDITOR

Reaz Mahmood

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Terra DeHart Nimi Einstein Elise Furlan Rachel Goldstein Shannon Kidd

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Ellie Bradley, Devin Courtright, Steven Christian, Kevin Hadsell, Catherine Johnson, Shannon Kidd, Jon Raby, Sebastian Richardson, Miles Sanguinetti, Thomas Spoelhof, Kayla Townsley

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The Vanguard is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent those of the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. One copy of the Vanguard is provided free of charge to all community members; additional copies or subscription issues may incur a 25 cent charge.

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Cover: Nimi Einstein and Terra Dehart, ©2015 PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY VANGUARD 1825 S.W. BROADWAY SMITH MEMORIAL STUDENT UNION, RM. S-26 PORTLAND, OR 97201

ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL GOLDSTEIN

Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

3

NEWS

OREGON’S MINIMUM WAGE DEBATE HEATS UP AT TOWN HALL MILES SANGUINETTI

The most recent entry into the ongoing Portland State Convenes event series—“Raising the Minimum Wage”—gave students, employees and business owners a chance to discuss the pros and cons of raising Oregon’s minimum wage to $15.

The town hall, hosted

by KATU, was held in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom on Oct. 27.

KATU aired the event on television and streamed it live on their website.

Three panelists answered questions: Representative Rob Nosse, a Democrat in the Oregon House of Representatives who supports raising the minimum; Jeff Stone, CEO of the Oregon Association for Nurseries, who is against raising the minimum; and Tom Potiowsky, the chair of the PSU economics department and former state economist, who was present to provide research-based context.

A media panel made up of three journalists from Portland publications asked questions. KATU invited social media and audience participation as well.

According to Chris Broderick, associate vice president of PSU’s university communications, PSU and KATU chose the minimum wage both because of its political relevance and PSU’s ability to provide expertise on the matter.

Two petitions are currently gathering signatures in favor of either a $13.50 or $15 minimum wage, he added.

“It’s going to be front and center with the short session of the legislature when they convene in February,” Broderick said.

The event was meant to engage the audience and inform them about both sides of the issue, according to Broderick.

“I think with the interactions—particularly with the students, [PSU] Student Union and the 15 Now

4

folks and the others who gathered last night—it covered a lot of ground.”

Though most of the audience’s questions and comments were respectful, a select few of them insulted the panelists, according to Broderick.

One question that a panelist took objection to came from PSU Student Union member Olivia Pace, who said that Potiowsky was oversimplifying the issue of discrimination against people of color by ignoring the link between affordability of education and the minimum wage.

“How do you propose that we pull ourselves up when people at our university don’t care about us, and people like you, and people who run the big businesses in this country, don’t care about giving us enough money to earn those resources to live and be functioning human beings?” Pace asked.

In his response, Potiowsky said he was offended by the assertion that he didn’t care about people of color.

Pace later declined to comment to the Vanguard.

“It’s not effective when you hurl insults at people,” Broderick said. “It’s just bad manners and it’s also counterproductive to what you’re trying to do, which is try to convey an important message about something that you feel passionate about.”

Apart from a few audience members who walked out before the event’s end, attendees generally felt that they had been heard, Broderick said.

“Bottom line is people gained a lot of insight, I hope, and knowledge that they didn’t know about this issue that they’re going to potentially vote on next year,” Broderick said.

“And that’s for students, and the community, and

really state-wide. That’s a win-win.”

Peter Wendel, a retired recruiter for nonprofit organizations, was one of the attendees who left before the audience finished asking questions.

“I think that this notion that this is going to be a panacea for those who are working at the bottom end of the income scale is silly,” Wendel said.

The minimum wage is a form of price control and could ultimately lead to inflation, he added.

“I think that the economics [were] not well-articulated by the panel,” Wendel said.

“Representative [Nosse] had so-called facts that he just threw out there as assertions and got the crowd riled up.”

Wendel said Nosse was playing to a crowd with which he was very popular, and he continued, Stone’s perspective was limited mainly to agriculture, not economics.

Alternatives to lowering the minimum wage, such as the abolition of the income tax for people at a sufficiently low income level, were discussed very little, Wendel added.

“I thought we allowed a bunch of hooligans who took over the discussion and basically suppressed those people’s ability to speak and I don’t approve of that,” Wendel said.

David Carlson, a Portland Community College student studying environmental science, was one of the attendees in favor of raising the minimum wage.

Of the three panelists’ talking points, Nosse’s arguments in favor of the wage increase resonated with Carlson the most. “[Stone]—the guy from the nursery association—he has no idea what’s going on in the real world,” Carlson said. “He is a lobbyist and he doesn’t understand what it’s actually like to live in poverty and deal with it as an adult.”

Stone said he was for focusing on increasing access to education for women and communities of color.

“This is about racism and discrimination,” he said, “not the state minimum wage.” He would rather, he continued, see the federal minimum wage raised to $10.80 per hour.

Several audience members hissed at Stone. One woman stood

TOM POTIOWSKY, PSU’S CHAIR OF ECONOMICS, discusses how changing the minimum wage to $15.00 could impact Oregon’s economy.

Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

up and said that more women hold degrees than men.

“It’s not about that,” she said.

Carlson said he was happy to see how outspoken the audience was at the event.

“It’s important with the way that the lobby has been in the capitol around the minimum wage, especially with the Raise the Wage Coalition,” Carlson said.

The coalition wants a target wage of $13.50, which is not a living wage according to Carlson. Raise the Wage, however ultimately wants to see a $15 minimum but they set $13.50 as a steppingstone goal.

Visit KATU.com for full footage of the event.

MILES SANGUINETTI/PSU VANGUARD

HUFFINGTON TALKS STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS MILES SANGUINETTI

Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor-inchief of the Huffington Post, engaged with students and media members at a brief talk and Q-and-A session before her keynote speech at the 2015 Simon Benson awards on Oct. 29.

Huffington addressed the importance of meditating to reduce stress and getting enough sleep each night, a goal she said students and businesspeople alike frequently lack.

“Contrary to our cultural assumptions, these things are not for people who want to chill out under a mango tree,” Huffington said. “You know, they are for people who want to be really effective and get stuff done without unnecessary exhaustion.”

Stressful work environments and the current cul-

CRIME BLOTTER Oct. 26 UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLE Parking Structure III

Officer Brian Rominger took a report from a student who stated that a male opened her passenger door and leaned inside. The student reported that the man saw her sitting in the driver’s seat, froze, backed out of the car and proceeded up the stairs on the north side of the third floor.

DISRUPTIVE STUDENT

Education and Business Administration

Officers Chris Fischer and David Troppe responded to an email about a disruptive student who was acting very “strange.” Upon arrival, the officers spoke with the instructor, who did not wish to have the student removed.

tural paradigm of constant work are not effective, according to Huffington. She pointed to health problems suffered by business executives— such as Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Continental— who was recently hospitalized after a heart attack as indicative of this.

“This world of work was designed by men and it’s not working,” Huffington said. “It’s not working for women, it’s not working for men and it’s not working for polar bears.”

Huffington also commented on digital media, technology and Thrive, her new book. She said many people in the 21st century suffer from addiction to social media technology. Paradoxically, she added that technology can be used to solve the very problems that it creates.

“At the end of Thrive, I have an appendix for my favorite meditation apps,” Huffington said. “I have an appendix of my favorite apps that can help us disconnect from technology—like there’s an app called Antisocial that puts everything on your social media, all of your notifications, on hold.”

Huffington also addressed the lack of coverage of positive news stories in major publications, which paints an incomplete and overly negative portrayal of the world.

“So much of journalism, for those of you who are communications majors, is based on the principle, ‘If it bleeds, it leads,’” Huffington said.

“We’re a little bit like vultures—we go where crises, plagues, wars are.”

Marissa Miller, a communications major at PSU,

NEWS said she found Huffington’s talk compelling.

“I thought that she had a lot of really good information,” Miller said. “[S]he is a lot more approachable than I thought she would be and she’s really genuine, which I guess is attributed to her success.”

Huffington’s talk gave Miller a new perspective of what a successful woman looks like, she said.

“It makes a lot of sense— her business model—after hearing her speak and hearing how genuine and up-

lifting she is about things,” Miller said.

Huffington’s idea that the cultural idealization of success and money has worked to the detriment of people’s capacity to be fully human resonated with Miller.

“It was really enlightening,” Miller said. “And something that I have kind of had this sneaking suspicion about for a long time, but have never put so eloquently. So it was really exciting to hear that…from someone who is so reputable.”

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON addresses a crowd of students about the health benefits of sufficient sleep, ahead of the Simon Benson Awards Dinner. Huffington was the 2015 Simon Benson keynote speaker.

STEVEN YOUNG/PSU VANGUARD

Week of Oct. 26–Nov. 1

ELLIE BRADLEY

The student was intoxicated and received a warning about their conduct.

Oct. 27 BURGLARY II, CRIMINAL MISCHIEF II

Smith Memorial Student Union

Officer Troppe responded to a call on the third-floor mezzanine of SMSU to investigate a burglary. Seven doors had damage as if they had been forced open.

After speaking with various employees, it appears that the damage occurred on the night of Oct. 26. At this time, nothing is reported missing. Smith Ops is looking at adding metal plates to prevent this in the future.

Oct. 28 WARRANT INFO

Millar Library

Officer Gary Smeltzer contacted a male who was bathing in the first floor men’s restroom of the Mil-

lar Library. The male provided his name but no other identification. The man had tattoos on his forearms: right, “Life’s a Bitch,” and left, “And Then You Die.” The man was hostile and had obvious mental issues, and was escorted from the building. Within the next half hour, CPSO received two calls of a person matching the man’s description acting erratic and verbally threatening others. Area checks failed to find the suspect, but further research determined that the man has a misdemeanor warrant for criminal trespassing.

Oct. 29

ATTEMPTED BURGLARY, CRIMINAL MISCHIEF Science Research and Teaching Center

Officer Masunari took a report from a faculty member that doors on the fourth floor of the SRTC had been tampered with in an attempted burglary. The rooms tampered with had many expensive scientific instruments and equipment in them. No property has been reported stolen, and there were no signs that entry was made into any of the rooms with property.

Oct. 30

EXCLUSION

Officers Matthew Masunari, Fischer and Shawn McKenzie made a welfare check on two non-students who were slumped over in their car. After a search, a small amount of heroin was found. Both were issued an exclusion.

Officers Masunari and Rominger contacted two non-students, a man and a woman, who came out of a single occupancy bathroom on the first floor mezzanine of SMSU. The man had a misde-

SMSU

PSU EXCLUSION

Distance Learning Center

Officer Rominger and Sgt. McCleary contacted a student and non-student occupying a third floor single occupancy bathroom inside the DLC on Oct. 30. The two admitted to engaging in sexual activity and the non-student was issued an exclusion

Nov. 1 FIRE ALARM

WARRANT, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF HEROIN, PSU EXCLUSIONS

Parking Structure III

meanor warrant, and when taken into custody, heroin was found.

The woman was issued an exclusion and sent on her way.

Broadway Housing

CPSO was dispatched to Broadway Housing building for a fire alarm activation.

It was found that a potato left cooking in a microwave caught fire. The Portland Fire Bureau arrived and cleared it.

The incident was contained to

the microwave.

PUBLIC INDECENCY Cramer Hall

Officer Troppe was dispatched to the first floor, south side of Cramer Hall, to attempt to locate a male who had urinated on the wall and then began masturbating. Officer Troppe arrived and conducted an area check; however, the man was not located. The student who reported the incident stated that she had been in Cramer Hall when she saw a man circle around her twice, then take out his penis and urinate on the wall. When the man began to masturbate, the student left and called CPSO.

Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

5

NEWS

STRATEGIC PLAN DRAFT OPEN FOR FEEDBACK COLLEEN LEARY

PRESIDENT WIM WIEWEL presents the strategic plan to the student government body during a recent senate meeting.

The Office of Portland State President Wim Wiewel released a draft on Oct. 20 of the university’s Strategic Plan. The draft,

“Let Knowledge Serve the City: The Strategic Goals of Portland State University,” outlines proposals to improve the university through 2020.

SILVIA CARDULLO/PSU VANGUARD

The plan specifies five strategic goals: elevate student success, advance excellence in teaching and research, strengthen leadership in engagement, commit

to equity and innovate for longterm sustainability. “[T]his has just been an amazing, broadly participatory process,” Wiewel said at an Oct. 9 student media press conference.

He said the Strategic Plan reaffirms many of the initiatives the university has already prioritized and highlights areas that require more attention going forward.

“It represents the viewpoints of literally thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni and other members of the PSU community,” Wiewel said. “[I]t’s not any kind of a radical redirection of who we are and where we’re going,” he continued. “And indeed, we’re calling it—very originally—‘Let Knowledge Serve the City’ as a real clear affirmation of the fact that that [motto] continues to be what we’re about.”

Strategic Plan Development Team According to an emailed statement from Wiewel on Oct. 20, the draft “is the culmination of months of work by the Strategic Plan Development Team.”

PSU’s Strategic Planning website explains that SPDT “members were nominated by several campus groups, including the Faculty Senate, deans and other members of [student government and faculty unions], the President’s Executive Committee and the Office of Global Diversity and Inclusion.” “[W]e sought to identify individuals who would be able to represent several points of view,” the website continues. “More than 100 were nominated, from which about 30 were selected.”

The SPDT is divided into several topic teams that address specific goals and strategies to improve various aspects of the university.

Topic teams focus on issues including Community Partnerships, Engagement and Civic Leadership; Student Learning and Academic Success; Campus Climate; Global Excellence and more.

Student and faculty members of the SPDT presented the plan at an Oct. 26 Associated Students of PSU Senate meeting, followed by a Q-and-A session and discussion among ASPSU members. Wiewel was also present to respond to questions and comments.

Stephen Percy, dean of the college of urban public affairs and chair of the SPDT, commented on the importance of this plan and the level of collaboration the team has sought throughout the process.

“It’s a very important plan for the future of our campus,” Percy said. “Lots of people spent a lot of time on it. Over three thousand people have commented at different times.”

The Strategic Plan’s website listed 3,802 engagements with the plan as of Nov. 2.

“We’ve had more outreach in this campus than we’ve ever gotten before in any strategic plan that I’m aware of, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect yet,” he continued.

Percy emphasized the draft status of the plan and encouraged further engagement with the PSU community.

“What you see is the outline of the draft,” he said. “It’s not complete yet. We’re still asking for your input.”

Opportunities for engagement With the recent release of the draft, Wiewel encouraged students to review the draft, offer feedback and public comment and respond to a survey associated with the draft.

The university has employed several avenues through which the PSU community can engage with the drafted plan.

The university hosted an ice cream social and “PSU TweetUp” in the Urban Plaza on Oct. 22, in hopes of engaging students with the drafted plan during the university’s Portland State of Mind celebration.

The ice cream social event was the second installment during consecutive PSOM celebrations focused on engaging students with the planning process.

“We heard more voices at [the spring] event from students who aren’t otherwise connected,” Percy said. “So we liked that opportunity and this is really a neat event.”

University faculty and staff can learn about and comment on the current plan on Nov. 5 at Strategic Sliders and Suds—an event with free burgers and beer.

The website also mentions future plans for town hall meetings.

“We want to talk,” Percy said. “We want to hear from you, we want to listen to you.

We want to make sure this plan is the best it can be.”

The next SPDT meeting will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 9.

GOALS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN 1) Elevate student success 2) Advance excellence in teaching and research 3) Strengthen leadership in engagement 4) Commit to equity 5) Innovate for long-term sustainability

6

Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

NEWS

MONTANA SUFFERS GRIZZLY DEFEAT DEVIN COURTRIGHT

Despite the pouring rain this Saturday, Vikings football was triumphant once again with a win not only against the elements but also their nemesis, the Montana Grizzlies, on the scariest of all days—Halloween.

At Providence Park, the Vikings prevailed with 30-yard touchdown plays and a solid defense that the Grizzlies could not penetrate.

According to the Oregonian, Saturday was the wettest day in four years, but that didn’t deter fans from showing their support for the Vikings. According to GoViks.com, Saturday’s game was PSU’s “best attendance [11,075] since 2008.” The rain did not even bother quarterback Alex Kuresa.

“We live in Portland and we are going to play in the rain once in a while, so we are not worried about that and [Montana] had to play in it too,” Kuresa said at a press conference.

The Vikings showed their enthusiasm during Saturday’s rainy game and, to boot, demonstrated a tight cohesiveness that was the key to their knockout victory against the Grizzlies.

The Vikings went with a nickel defense throughout the game, and safety Patrick Onwuasor had three interceptions.

The offensive team showcased some good running and passing plays with Kuresa scoring four touchdowns—a perfect storm of offense and defense.

“We felt [Montana was] bigger and stronger than us up front, with their offense versus our defense but I thought our defense was quicker,” said Head Coach Bruce Barnum. “We also had a couple good runs and even our quarterback had a few.”

Although the offense predominately relied on running the ball—Kuresa handing the ball to running back David Jones for most plays—the biggest play during the game was at the beginning when Kuresa made a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Kuresa said that for an “explosive play” like that to be successful, the offense and defense have to be on the same page to gather the momentum and win the game.

“To get those momentum swings is huge and it carries over to our defense and I think that’s what contributed to our defense having some success too,” Kuresa said. “It’s working both ways. You have the defense making good plays and we are making good plays.

We are feeding off each other.”

Confidence was a major factor in Saturday’s win. The Vikings have been on cloud nine since their 38–35 win against Cal Poly on Saturday, Oct. 24. At a press conference, Barnum said he first noticed the team feeling very confident during their last play against the Cal Poly Mustangs.

“I saw at their last drive that they were laughing in the

huddle, and I almost stopped them because they were kind of joking around, but I let it go because that is how they were acting,” Barnum said. “They were enjoying the game.”

This game was an important win for the Vikings because this was a Big Sky conference game. The Vikings are ever closer to ob-

ALEX KURESA rushes for yardage against Montana’s defense

taining the Big Sky title.

According to GoViks.com, they are 3–1 in the Big Sky and are currently riding a three-game winning streak.

As of Saturday the Vikings are tied with the Grizzlies for third in the Big Sky standings behind Southern Utah

DEVIN COURTRIGHT/PSU VANGUARD

at 5–2 and Eastern Washington at 4–0.

The Vikings are scheduled to play next Saturday, Nov. 7, against Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. The next home game is Saturday, Nov. 14, against Southern Utah at Providence Park.

DRESSED FOR THE WEATHER AND THE HOLIDAY ALIKE, the Vikings cheer squad rallies the largest home crowd since 2008.

DEVIN COURTRIGHT/PSU VANGUARD

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DAVID JONES picks up a handoff by quarterback Alex Kuresa.

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Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

7

ARTS & CULTURE

WORDSTOCK GETS A FACE-LIFT CATHERINE JOHNSON

FOR 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Cool, hip and fresh are just a few of the words being used to describe the re-launch of Wordstock, Portland’s Annual Book Festival, on Saturday, Nov. 7. It’s the event’s 10th anniversary, but attendees can expect significant changes from previous years.

Wordstock, previously its own entity, has been acquired

by Literary Arts, the 30-yearold nationally recognized hub of all things literary in Portland, perhaps best known for its Arts & Lectures series, Writers in the Schools Program and the many ways it promotes Oregon’s writers and publishers. And under their direction, Wordstock is getting a bit of a face-lift.

“There’s going to be a lot of things that people who know and love Wordstock will recognize, but it’s also going to be a very different event in a lot of ways,” said Amanda Bullock, the festival manager.

“We’re really focusing on making it a festival for everyone and a festival for readers and writers and everyone who loves books.”

Instead of the sterile Oregon Convention Center, much of the festival will take place at the Portland Art Museum.

“The venue is a huge change and really defining a lot of how the festival is changing also. It’s a little denser,” Bullock said.

Even though it’s only one day, instead of two, Bullock explained they’ve built a full weekend of activities: an opening night party on Friday, multiple day-long events on Saturday, and the first ever Lit Crawl, produced with Litquake (a San Franciscobased literary nonprofit).

One primary venue and partner is the First Congregational Church of Christ, across the street from PAM, where big names like Jon Krakauer, Barry Lopez, Cheryl Strayed and Jon Irving are anticipated to draw a large audience.

There are five main stages, fewer than in the past, but this year there will also be “pop-up” stages throughout

8

PAM featuring readings and musical performances by other artists, some of whom were selected out of hundreds of open submissions.

Bullock travelled across the United States to meet with other professionals, seeking their opinions about who should be featured.

“I went to New York in March and met with a lot of publishers, and we really paid attention to what’s coming out this year,” Bullock said.

“The festival is all books that are published in 2015.”

They also strived for an even split between regional work and authors coming from out of state.

“The goal, which we hit exactly, was to be 50 percent local or regional authors, and 50 percent people who are coming from farther afield,” Bullock said.

In addition to readings, the festival offers workshops that may especially appeal to students.

“If you’re not a creative writing major but want to try your hand at flash fiction, this would be a really good time to try it,” Bullock said.

And while pleasure reading might not fit in a busy Portland State student’s midterm schedule, Bullock suggests that this is a great way to find books you might not have heard of otherwise, for holiday and summer reading time.

Tin House, a Portland literary magazine and independent press, is also playing a key role this year as they have in the past and they, too, are really excited about the changes. Nanci McCloskey, the director of publicity and rights, is looking forward to Lit Crawl.

“We are having a Nerd Jeopardy night. It’s going to be so fun,” McCloskey said.

And some of their featured writers—Glenn Taylor, Sara Jaffe, Claire Vaye Watkins— are going to participate. Overall, McCloskey has very high expectations for Wordstock.

“I think this is going to be a literary festival like none

other,” McCloskey said. “I think it’s going to be incredibly cool and hip in a specifically Portland way. I’m sold.

I think it’s great and it feels really fresh like nothing else.”

Lending more spice to the event is Live Wire!, a variety radio that has been involved with the festival since inception. The station is also enthusiastic about the relaunch. Robyn Tenebaum, executive producer of Live Wire!, is delighted about their venue, too.

“We’re back at the Aladdin Theater for Wordstock, so we’re really excited to be back in our original home,” Tenebaum said.

They’re expecting to fill the Aladdin to capacity, about 600 people, with a strong lineup: Diana Nyad, Jesse Eisenberg, Sloane Crosley and Heidi Julavits, as well as two musical guests who are also involved in the day-long event—Laura Gibson (the inspiration for National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Concerts) and Israel Nebeker (the lead singer and guitarist for Blind Pilot).

Live Wire! is a show that’s focused on the 20-something crowd and would love PSU students to come. In fact, there will be a block of student tickets set aside for the reduced price of $15.

In addition to spoken word and music, film is also being incorporated at the Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, located inside PAM. Exhibition Programs Manager Morgen Ruff and PR & Marketing Manager Benna Gottfried met with Bullock to decide on the program.

“We selected two of the Wordstock authors to identify a film that has influenced their work and then identified a Portland-area community leader to interview them after we screen their selected films,” Gottfried said.

Those authors are Sandra Cisneros and Wendell Pierce. On Friday night they will screen Federico Fellini’s 1952 The White Sheik with Cisneros, and on Saturday Les Blank’s 1978 Always for Pleasure.

Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

Another important difference this year: the food.

“One of the complaints about the convention center was that the food was really bad,” Bullock said. “So we’re excited that we have some really great food trucks and we’ll have a tent with beer and wine and cider. You can’t have any kind of event in Portland without beer and wine and cider.”

It’s hard to anticipate how many people will attend, but they’re expecting thousands.

With this many organizations and authors coming together from around the state and the country, it seems that the festival will likely achieve another one of Bullock’s goals.

“The goal is to inspire serious FOMO—fear of missing out,” Bullock said.

BOOK BROWSERS: Attendees look through an extensive selection of books at the 2011 Wordstock. Museum Interior: The Portland Art Museum Mark Building will host the 2015 Wordstock. Additional programming is scheduled at the First Congregational United Church of Christ.

COURTESY OF LITERARY ARTS FOR WORDSTOCK FESTIVAL

MUSEUM INTERIOR: The Portland Art Museum Mark Building will host the 2015 Wordstock. Additional programming is scheduled at the First Congregational United Church of Christ.

COURTESY OF LITERARY ARTS FOR WORDSTOCK FESTIVAL

ARTS & CULTURE

PSU ORCHESTRA OPENS SEASON WITH NORTHWEST PREMIERE OF “HRIM” THOMAS SPOELHOF

The Portland State University Orchestra opened its annual performance season with a groundbreaking pre-Halloween concert on Saturday, Oct. 24, inside Lincoln Hall. The Portland State of Mind concert, led by Music Director Ken Selden, featured three unique ensembles representing Joachim Raff, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Mozart.

Each set delivered distinct blends of strings, woodwinds, piano and harmonies, harvested specifically for a fall evening’s warmth and entertainment.

The innovative element of the show, however, was the Portland premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s ethereal movement, “Hrim.”

Thorvaldsdottir, an Icelandic composer, has received the Kravis Emerging Composer Award from the New York Philharmonic.

As the radical composer’s music gains recognition and momentum around the world, the PSU Orchestra’s live performance was a first for the Portland listening audience.

Professor Selden commented on the vaporous notation of “Hrim,” the challenges of preparing to perform such a complex piece and the song’s Halloweenconjuring vibe.

“We talk about how music is notated in this century and what kind of tools com-

THOMAS SPOELHOFF/PSU VANGUARD

posers use in order to find new ways to express their art,” Selden said. “We talk about the music, the notes the composer has written, and then we talk about the landscape of the composer and what the visual parallels are. First the musical gesture, then the notes, then the details. Then we have to find a way to make it accurate.”

“Hrim” is an eight-minute sonic ensemble of epic magnitude. Elements of sound, great and diminutive, haunt the audience with both familiarity and strangeness.

Its accoutrements are born from the harsh landscape of Iceland’s natural habitat and manifested through musical special effects. Wind players flutter their tongues over their instruments; strings players strike the bridges of theirs; the pianist sometimes works under the hood of the piano. The resulting impact on the audience is immersive and surreal.

“We try to represent major composers that are emerging from different parts of the world, so we were really excited to bring her music here,” Selden said. “She has a really unique voice. She is now on the map.”

As the piece opens, string instruments waver like howling northern winds; eerie effects from the piano emit imagery of some macabre Shakespearean scene. Per-

formers decked in masks and costumes of angels, garden gnomes, fairies and superheroes add to the festive mood.

After only three weeks’ preparation, and a week earlier than last year, it was a challenge for PSU Orchestra’s student-musicians to be fully ready to perform. Many of the students had never played anything similar to modern compositions. Pianists sometimes go out of the standard repertoire, but most strings players have studied only baroque and classical music throughout their hig- school careers; avant-garde notation can be completely unfamiliar.

“It’s like jumping into a lake for the first time,” Selden said.

Kyle Lissman, PSU’s senior bassist, expounded on the proposition of preparing for such a sophisticated and unprecedented performance.

“You have to realize what’s most important to try and capture when you’re rehearsing it. The rhythms are more important than actual notes at times, because of the dissonant qualities of quarter tones and things like that,” Lissman said. “My thought process was to practice with a metronome. It’s more about listening to everyone else’s parts and fitting into that sound.”

The three-part concert opened with Joachim Raff’s “Sinfonietta in F Major, Op. 188 (1873),” led by Lisa Castleman, the assistant

conductor. The movements featured harmonies of bassoons and clarinets while flutes danced in and out.

The pieces delivered steady progressions, while the ensemble presented tightly collaborative conclusions and an advanced sound for being so early in the performance season.

Selden described Raff’s work as very important to the Romantic Period.

“He wrote 11 symphonies and disappeared from our history books. It’s interesting to hear a voice like this—so familiar, yet so unknown,” Selden said.

The third and final ensemble presented Mozart’s “Quartet No. 22 in B Flat Major, Op. 589 (1790).”

“It’s a piece where we can get loose, let our hair down and giggle, and express ourselves in a less formal way,” said Loren Masanque, PSU’s senior viola player. “A great way to end the concert.”

Orchestra fans can keep up with goings-on through Professor Selden’s blog, The PSU Orchestra. The next performance will be Haydn Lord Nelson Mass with the PSU Choirs and guest conductor Grete Pederson, on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. at First United Methodist Church.

Allow yourself a luxury and make plans to experience the PSU Orchestra this season.

EDITOR PICK OF THE WEEK BOOK: SHARP OBJECTS AISLINN RENNISON

First off, before I get into my pick of the week, I know the last couple (and this one) have been a little on the scary/gruesome side.

But hey, it was October.

Don’t worry—Halloween is over, we will get into the fun, candy-cane, St. Nick, snowman, hot-chocolate kind of stuff. Promise.

Did you go see Gone Girl?

Did you love it? I certainly did, and I read the book first.

So that’s saying something.

I was absolutely enthralled with Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. I could not take my eyes off that novel. As with many books that submerse me into the author’s world, I was disappointed that the story had to end.

If you’re in my shoes, or just need a new book that isn’t Biology: Life that Matters, then check out some of Flynn’s other books, such as Sharp Objects. Her novels, however, are not for the lighthearted—if you hadn’t picked that much up from Gone Girl (which you should read first, if you haven’t already). Some of the writing in Sharp Objects can

make your spine tingle, but Flynn has a talent for that.

Sharp Objects is about a young reporter who struggles with her inner demons.

She had a brief stay at a psych ward before getting handed an assignment from her editor-in-chief that would eventually change everything she knew about her life. She is asked to go investigate and report on two horrendous murders that happened in her hometown—a place she swore she would never go back to.

The twists and turns are truly staggering. The biggie made me yell “NO WAY!” out loud in a quiet coffee shop.

I know you barely have time to eat as a student, but save this one for winter break. It’s a quick book and totally worth the effort of reading on your short days off from school.

FYI Cost: $7–9 Where to buy: Amazon, Powell’s Books, Barnes & Noble

ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL GOLDSTEIN

Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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OPINION

BAD ARGUMENTS AND THE GUN CONTROL DEBATE Against the Current

A few weeks ago, a terrible tragedy occurred on the campus of Umpqua Community College down in southern Oregon. A shooter, whose name I don’t care to mention, shot and killed 10 innocent people and wounded nine others, resulting in the worst school shooting in Oregon history.

THE SO-CALLED GUN SHOW LOOPHOLE, a gap in the Brady Bill which enables sales between private citizens, is often cited by gun control advocates as a key concern in current U.S. policy.

COURTESY OF M&R PHOTOGRAPHY THROUGH CREATIVE COMMONS

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by Sebastian Richardson

Immediately following this horrific event, people all across Oregon responded with prayers, support and love for the people affected by this heinous crime. Even the president himself paid a visit to Oregon, spoke with the families who lost loved ones and offered his condolences to the community.

However, as the initial shock of the event began to fade, the debate over gun control began yet again in our country. Gun control seems to be one of those issues that people appear to have no interest in until a tragedy like this occurs, and after a while it gets placed on the backburner.

After this shooting, and given the political climate, many people have been weighing in on the issue, from presidential candidates and state governors to family members on Facebook.

Even during the recent Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton attacked Bernie Sanders’ record with regard to gun control, due to the fact he voted against the Brady Bill in 1993 and supported legislation that would protect gun manufacturers against lawsuits from those affected by gun violence.

It’s no doubt gun control is a polarizing issue, one that can be very emotional, especially if you have been personally affected or lost someone to gun violence.

Despite this fact, when the gun control debate does arise, people seem to stick to age-old arguments, weak platitudes and rhetoric that doesn’t do anything to understand either side or find a logical middle ground.

For example, it seems that the only time conservatives in America care about Switzerland’s existence is when it’s politically beneficial to call upon them as some sort of gun utopia.

However, Switzerland’s gun laws are much stricter than in the United States, and gun possession is partnered with mandatory military service and training. Along with this, in 2007 Switzerland’s Federal Council passed a measure that requires ammunition to be kept in a central arsenal.

Heavy automatic assault rifles, suppressors and open carry are all illegal in Switzerland. At the end of the day, guns are not seen as a mode of self-defense but rather an issue of national security.

What gun proponents don’t bother to mention is Switzerland has a problem with these privately owned guns being used in situations of domestic violence, a fact that has led many in Switzerland to support even further restrictions.

There are hundreds of other bad arguments against control that always seek to compare guns to completely unrelated things. For instance, people who are against gun control often cite prohibition of alcohol as something the government failed to effectively restrict. However, guns are not moonshine, and until people are making .45-caliber pistols in their backyard, the comparison makes no sense.

Another comparison people like to make is with motor vehicles. People argue that if we don’t restrict the use of motor vehicles when someone misuses them, then we shouldn’t do so with guns. The problem with this is that guns are made to do one thing: shoot things with lethal intent. Cars, on the other hand, are used to transport people to school and work and bring victims of mass shootings to hospitals.

Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

If all these arguments are dismissed, most proponents of the Second Amendment will claim that citizens need guns in order to protect from potential government tyranny. As much as the American in me wants to support this idea, it’s completely ridiculous. No amount of Americans wielding rifles and handguns will ever stop the full might of the United States military. After all, they have tanks and jets.

Now I’m not saying military action against a well-armed tyrannical government by a civilian militia isn’t impossible. One has to only look to Libya and Syria for modern examples. However, in these cases, they had outside help. You know, from the United States government.

Recently, I even saw a post on Facebook from an NRA fan page that claimed more people died from falling down than from guns in a year. Whether or not that’s true shouldn’t matter. The fact any amount of people are dying from gun use is a problem.

According to one statistic, verified by PolitiFact, more Americans have died from gun-related violence than have died in all the wars in America’s history. Roughly 32,000 people die in the United State due to gun violence every year, and we average about 30 gun deaths per 100,000 people.

This is almost more than motor vehicle deaths.

Some people even have the audacity to claim that gun violence is a mental health issue. However, this is purely rhetoric used to steer the conversation away from the issue of gun violence.

Even everyone’s favorite socialist Bernie Sanders claimed that gun violence is a mental health issue.

The fact is, according to the American Journal of Public Health, fewer than 5 percent of 120,000 gun-related killings were committed by people who were diagnosed with mental illness.

Clearly this is a gun control issue—one that people like to avoid.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a proponent of completely restricting private ownership of guns. I think any of this prevailing all-or-nothing approach is inherently wrong and fails to see the bigger picture. The fact of the matter is, a large portion of citizens who own guns do so carefully and have no intention of shooting up a school. However, it seems it’s nearly impossible to advocate for a person’s right to own a semi-automatic rifle that is kept in a well-locked safe while simultaneously supporting a massive overhaul on gun control laws, especially of handguns.

At this point, federal action is the most important step to creating a safer country. As much as the federalist in me wants to think this could be left to the states, if even one state had lax gun control laws it would completely undermine any attempt another state could make.

So, to supporters of the Second Amendment, please stop deflecting the greater issue at hand and please fight a battle that is worth winning.

OPINION

PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON IS BEST SEASON Musings from the Sub-basement

by Kevin Hadsell

Ah, fall. It is the season of crispy leaves, pumpkin patches and Halloween. It is the season in which the children are forced from their homes and loaded onto buses to be detained against their will in large, state-run facilities, leaving a pleasant hush over the city streets.

The scent of freshly sharpened pencils fills the air.

It is, in other words, the most wonderful time of the year.

In the constant debate over which season is the best season, fall wins easily, due to a single, unassailable advantage: It is the season of pumpkin spice.

No one knows who actually invented pumpkin spice or what its original purpose was. Dubious rumors persist over its role in the conflict in Vietnam (“Can it be mere coincidence,” said one source, who chose to remain anonymous, “that Agent Orange and pumpkin spice are essentially the same color?”).

Much like the reopening of Willy Wonka’s factory, pumpkin spice simply began appearing one day at vari-

ous bakeries and coffee shops across America. No one knows where it came from or why.

[ED. NOTE: This is not the actual history of pumpkin spice.

We aren’t sure what this is, but it seems to be mostly made up.]

Whatever its origins, today, a perpetual pumpkin-scented cloud hovers invisibly over the Starbucks outlets of our nation from September to the end of November, finally petering out when candy-cane production is ramped up in time for the holidays. And it is universally regarded as delicious.

So what is it that makes pumpkin spice so wonderful? How can we account for the fact that for roughly one quarter of the year, literally everything, at some point, tastes like pumpkins?

Being the responsible journalist I am, I decided to investigate what, exactly, defines pumpkin spice’s universal appeal.

I will spare the readers of this column the details of my research methods and simply tell you what I have discovered: Pumpkin spice, in whatever form it takes, is not merely delicious—it is essentially the edible equivalent of a scented candle.

There are entire sections of Yankee Candle devoted to things that smell like a pumpkin-spice latte—only you are not allowed to eat

KAYLA TOWNSLEY

the scented candle. Polite society frowns upon it. And with the scented candle, you are quite literally burning up your money. The latte, by contrast, is both pumpkinscented and socially acceptable to drink in public. This is clearly a win-win.

I decided to look into the matter further. This time I used what we call, in matters of fancy and super-accurate research, a “Venn diagram.” It turns out that the Venn diagram comparing the people who like scented candles to the people who like pumpkin spice is really just a circle. [ED. NOTE: We are fairly certain Kevin did not do any actual “research” for this piece.

The “Venn diagram” he handed in with this article appears to be drawn on a paper plate with a Sharpie.] Is it mere coincidence that these two groups correlate exactly? Does that mean there is some essential link between scented candles and pumpkin spice? And if so, what?

This issue is outside the scope of this piece, but it is worth contemplating. In the meantime, the important point to consider is this: Pumpkin spice appears only once a year. Like each of our tiny, cosmologically insignificant lives, it lasts a short time and then vanishes back into the void as if nothing had ever happened. This is the definition of “seasonal.”

And, for whatever reason, that season happens to be fall.

CHAVELIN GONZALEZ/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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ETC WEDNESDAY NOV. 4 Comedy in Space 8 p.m.

Mission Theater Fee: $8

Featuring local standup and impressions (specifically one of Carl Sagan), this is a night of comedy in the beautiful black vacuum of stars.

No warning is set for it being more adult, but it does start at 8 p.m.

Game Night

7 p.m.

Bossanova Ballroom Free, 21+ Featuring vintage skeeball, shotzee (like Yahtzee but with shots), arcade games, classic board games like Monopoly, new classic board games like Settlers of Catan, two pool tables and even karaoke; this event is perfect for the adults who need a night off.

EVENT LISTINGS FROM 11/4–11/8 THURSDAY NOV. 5 Free Chocolate 11 a.m.

Creo Chocolate Free

Only ten guests wearing ten hairnets, all in closed-toed shoes and no perfume, will be allowed on a guided tour of this chocolate factory. There will be both solid and liquid samples. If you miss this Thursday, other tours are available in the future.

Smoked Food Night

6–9 p.m.

Leftbank Annex Fee: $75 each or $250 for a table of four Tobacco prevention work is celebrated by feasting on only smoked fish, meats, veggies, sauces and even desserts. Sample a variety of marketplaces and engage in the conversation on public health.

FRIDAY NOV. 6 Annual Food and Gift Fest 10 a.m.

Oregon Convention Center Fee: $10

After 26 years, this muchrecommended festival has the culture of homemade and local gifts down pat.

From art and jewelry to pasta and soups and chocolate to Christmas decor, you’re bound to find something unique and beautiful here for yourself or for someone you love.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch 7 p.m.

5th Avenue Cinema Free for students with ID

For the uninitiated, Hedwig is the rock opera to end all rock operas that encapsulates the ideas of love, freedom and identity, all set to a ridiculously wonderful soundtrack that you can’t help but hum. Definitely not your mom and dad’s musical.

Showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7 and 9:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m.

JOHN PINNEY

SATURDAY NOV. 7 Comic Book Swap

6 p.m.

East Portland Eagles Lodge Fee: $5 bucks for 11 a.m. early bird If you’re looking to buy and sell things like comic books, posters and magazines (perhaps something at Comic Con doesn’t suit your fancy anymore), then enjoy this mini-Comic Con right at the heart of Hawthorne.

Portland Book Fest

SUNDAY NOV. 8 Blood on the Books

7:30 p.m.

Shaking the Tree Studio Fee: $20–$25 If you like satire set at our own beloved Powell’s that demonstrates the changes that have happened and are still happening to Portland, then this is the original and homegrown play brew just for you. Did I mention there are vampires?

9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Portland Art Museum Fee: $15, free for high schoolers and under with ID

Chili Jamboree

Re-launching Wordstock as a one-day event, this festival for readers of every age is more than just a book fair.

Between the food trucks and pop-up readings, the mayhem of reading will unfold before you like a warm literary blanket.

If you stare at Food Network competitions with longing, this is your chance to play Food Network judge and taste many a different entrant of chili. Just because they’re celebrity chefs doesn’t mean they’ll automatically get your vote.

Country music will play, and booze will be on tap as well.

1 p.m.

White Owl Social Club Fee: $15–$25

FEATURED EVENT Clark County Open Studios 5 – 8 p.m.

If you’re interested in learning more about art and find yourself across the river in Clark County, you’ll want to check out the events happening from Nov. 6 through Nov. 15. Fifty artists are flinging open their doors to let people see their process with easel, kilns, clay and all manner of everything involving glass and paint. This is a great way to get inspired.

If you’re curious, Nov. 6 (which is a first Friday) from 5 to 8 p.m. at North Bank Gallery, there will be a preview exhibit and artist reception. There is also an opportunity for a juried tour, as the whole event is being juried and trying to promote local cultural community awareness.

Check out ccopenstudios. org for a complete listing of participating studios and art mediums.

JOHN PINNEY

Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

If you’re not being honest with yourself, sometimes the lie can become more potent than the truth, and untangling yourself from the knot of deception can become near-impossible.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21)

If you’re not appreciated in your hometown, there is always going to be somewhere that will appreciate your gifts and talents. The tough part is really sticking it out until you can get there.

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Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

Someone you admire may give you the permission you need this week to follow in their footsteps. You just have to decide if you have the guts to do so.

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

This week might be the week where your friends start listening to your health tips, Aquarius.

You’ve succeeded and deserve to reward yourself decadently for swaying their opinions.

Pisces (Feb. 20–March 19)

Taurus (April 20–May 20)

Aries (March 21–April 19)

Gemini (May 21–June 20)

Your passions in life are actually quite constructive if you can keep yourself from being distracted. But that is the way of all artists and one must decide how to devote one’s time.

You have a greater affect on people than you realize.

Whether in the physical or spiritual realm, you are capable of moving great historical mountains if you want to.

Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

You’ve always felt a greater kinship with animals than with people, and it’s not much of a mystery to see why. Animals are mostly adorable, and people are riddles.

This week is a week where your romantic feelings will soar if you’ll stop resisting them. Not everything has to be negative, Gemini.

Cancer (June 21–July 22)

Your mind isn’t a lost cause, even if it feels like mush right now. You’ve been pushing yourself, true, but it will pay off in the end if you can hack it.

Leo (July 23–Aug. 22)

You might have to make some concessions this week; however, these concessions are worth it to get a certain monkey off your back.

Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

There’s something very quaint about some of your favorite activities, Virgo.

Though it boggles some people’s minds that you believe in good clean fun, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Libra (Sept.23–Oct. 22)

You’re going to feel a creative rush this week, almost as if your feet are on fire. It’s going to be great for getting your work produced, but maybe not so much for the insomnia.

ETC

BY SHANNON KIDD

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Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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INTERNATIONAL

VOLUNTEER INTERNATIONALLY

THE IMPACT YOU CAN HAVE ON OUR WORLD IS INVALUABLE What makes one company stand out from others like it? It could be its dedication to a cause, the people involved—or maybe its purpose? One thing is for sure, it takes a group of willing participants to make it great.

International Student Volunteers is a nonprofit organization that sends student and non-student volunteers to six different impoverished destinations worldwide to work with the community, animals and ecosystems in an effort to help the population regain sustainability.

ISV is an international company started by Randy Sykes nearly 30 years ago.

Sykes’ vision to promote global volunteering has led to the exponential growth of ISV. With his passion for

cultural exchange, education and travel programs, Sykes has turned ISV into one of the largest international, awardwinning programs of its kind. “[Sykes] wanted the work that he did to have a profound impact on the lives of other people,” said Portland State Campus Representative Will Elliott.

As an international company, ISV is partnered with over 800 universities around the world. “[ISV] is putting the ‘international’ into international student volunteers,” Elliott said. “The exposure that [students] get, as far as global context, they not only go abroad and get that kind of exposure, but the people they meet there come from different backgrounds as well.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VOLUNTEERS

The Experience ISV is the highest-rated volunteer program in the world, and it works hard to stay so. The attention to detail paid to each individual program distinguishes ISV from so many other organizations like it. From the homes provided for the volunteers to the modes of transportation taken, all of it focuses on responsible ecotourism.

Have you ever wanted to live in a tree hut? What about a grass hut? Through ISV, your experience is as authentic to the community you’re living in as possible. This not only gives participants a more valued experience, but stimulates the impoverished economy and local people—

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as well as the environment— in a sustainable way.

“If you can’t provide a safe experience, then you shouldn’t be providing any experience at all,” Elliott said.

ISV only works with communities that cannot sustain themselves. In some cases— after years of volunteers offering their time and effort—some communities do not need the same help from ISV any longer. “We never overstay where we’re not supposed to,” Elliott said. “We don’t want to be a touristy burden on anyone, we want to be international student volunteers. The point where we’re no longer helping anyone, is the point where we’ve done our job.”

Throughout the year, ISV,

project and tour leaders will continue to check in on the communities in an effort to make sure they are continuing their success.

Gaining life-experience in a real-world setting is invaluable. To apply what you’ve learned in a classroom and put it into action is something that can’t be replicated in a lecture hall or lab. That being said, doing work for time you won’t get paid for is becoming increasingly unappealing to college students and recent graduates—especially those in debt.

The cost of a trip ranges from $3,900 to $4,495, not including airfare. This is an incredibly hefty price to pay as a student. As a nonprofit, ISV is not able to provide their volunteers with any financial aid, though you are allowed to use financial aid or scholarship money provided through your school.

COMMENTARY BY MOLLY OZIER

This isn’t always an easy solution. An alternative route Elliot suggested was to work with a group of students also interested in ISV, who need help financially, to gain funding from local businesses in order to fund your trip.

Something that money can’t buy, as Elliott puts it, is the skill and knowledge you gain from your experience.

“Translating [your experience from ISV] into marketable job experience distinguishes yourself from other students, who studied the exact same thing you did.”

To say the least, ISV is a lifechanging experience. Working in an elephant sanctuary, or helping sea turtles find a new home, isn’t something to take for granted. It ‘s something for anyone who wants to be involved.

For questions concerning ISV, contact Will Elliott at will.e.isv@gmail.com

INTERNATIONAL

INTERSECTIONS: to the brain. She also spoke of being asexual, asocial, aromantic and happily herself.

“Something that I want everyone in here to think about is: What you see here is the cover of the book,” Kramer said, motioning to her body.

“There’s thousands of pages in every person’s book that you can’t see looking at the spine.”

“I wanted to come and speak here because I feel like through storytelling you can connect to people, and build community off that and create understanding,” said Adriana Warner, a PSU graduate student speaker. “Too often I think people make judgments based off of what they see or what they hear about someone, as opposed to really getting to know that person. So I really wanted to be able to share my story, all my pages if you will, because that’s how we start talking about these things.”

Warner spoke of both her challenges of being biracial, and of dealing with a rare nerve problem without a cure, in which her nerves tell her to feel pain where there shouldn’t be any. After multiple surger-

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Happy Living

ies on her spinal cord, doctors prescribing drugs and more than 50 doctors inducing comas, she now deals with the pain through diet, mindfulness of her body, forcing her brain to ignore it—and generally choosing to enjoy life rather than feel bad for herself.

The storytellers met and practiced their stories before the event, and worked with a storytelling coach Ryan Stroud. The level of detail in each story showed this.

“He really helped us unpack our stories [and] paint a picture,” Warner said.

Another speaker, Deyalo, talked about coming out as bisexual to his fraternity brothers,

and the positive response that came from the intersecting of his personal and school life.

One of the event’s organizers, Jen Dugger, spoke of going to the doctor with her transgender partner and finding out she would be able to carry his baby.

A realization came in the in vitro fertilization office—it was a transgender man and lesbian woman who were the privileged ones.

Casey Skoog spoke of overcoming learning and social challenges, and being one year away from a master’s degree with a great GPA. She said, in order to do it, she had to rewrite the negative narrative that her life had been progressing on.

“I don’t really like the term ‘fearless’ for PSU,” Skoog said, “because it implies courage, which doesn’t truly exist without fear. Courage requires confronting fear and we’ve been doing that. I was confronting my biggest fear tonight—stage fright.”

If there was one takeaway from the night, it was that we all have challenges, some greater than others, but it takes the same will to overcome them for everyone. In the speakers sharing their lives with us, we can see it is in the intersections of our stories that we may offer strength to one another.

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obstacles and triumph in their lives. Collectively they shared challenge, hardship, love and hope in a night of inspiration and gratitude for life.

The night was translated into sign language and began with a prelude by community advocate Neola Young, about the complexity of human beings and the need to peel back the layers to get to know why we are the way we are.

“Sometimes we think we know something about other people because we look at them; [this is for] all the things you can’t tell by looking,” Young said. “What if we paid just a little bit more attention to something about other people?”

“If we don’t tell our stories to people, how can we expect anyone to understand us?” said Darcy Kramer of PSU’s Disability Resource Center.

“If you want acceptance, and want people to be more open, you have to tell your story.”

Kramer fought through years of vertigo until she had her left VIII cranial nerve in her brain cut. The nerve conducts balance and auditory information from the inner ear

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The closing days of Portland State of Mind’s celebration of knowledge and culture get to the heart of the Portland State community with “Intersections: An Evening of Storytelling about Identity, Culture, Community and Pride.”

PSOM is an annual event in conjunction with PSU and the Portland community. It began as an alumni weekend and has transformed into a 10-day festival that includes alumni and community speakers, PSU sports celebration and games, music, debate and various other fun and community-building activities, put on by both alumni and students.

Intersections was a twohour event sponsored by multiple PSU resources, including the Queer Resource Center, Diversity and Multicultural Student Services, the Cultural Resource Centers, the Disability Resource Center, the Veterans Resource Center and the Women’s Resource Center.

Five PSU Students, staff and community members told deeply personal stories of

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AN EVENING OF STORYTELLING PSU STORYTELLERS OPEN UP ABOUT PERSONAL CHALLENGES AND THE DRIVE TO SUCCEED

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Vanguard | NOVEMBER 3, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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Editor-in-Chief, Opinion Editor & Copy Chief a p p ly at p s u va n g ua rd . co m / j o b s